Game 1 NLCS

 The Cubs lost the first game of the Mets series 4-2.  Matt Harvey pitched very well.  Jon Lester did not.  That's about it.  Not that Lester pitched horribly.  Ordinarily, he would be considered to have turned in a creditable performance, but, just as in the first game of the Cardinals series, he was not good enough to counter a dominant performance by his opponent.

The game was played on a cold night that undoubtedly affected the outcome.  Still, the Cubs were off-balance at the plate all night long.  They just were not on their game.  The speculation before the game was that Harvey would be on a restricted pitch count, but the Cubs in general seemed over-anxious.  They were doing a lot of first pitch swinging early on.

The fifth inning was key.  Behind 1-0 after a first inning homer, the Cubs launched a rally after Rizzo was hit by an 0-2 pitch.  Castro doublec a long fly that was misjudged or misplayed by the Mets center-fielder or just blown over his head.  Rizzo scored.  Castro might have run harder out of the box, but it likely would not have got him to third safely.  After Soler made an out, Baez followed with a sharp single to left.  Evidently feeling a sense of desperation with Ross and Lester due to follow, Castro was sent and thrown out by a good margin at home.

Lester failed to shut the door in the bottom of the inning. Granted he got himself in trouble allowing some dinky hits, but he had to retire Granderson and he did not.  That was the tale of the game.  The Cubs were unable to mount another challenge, having to settle for a long Scwarber homer in the eighth that made no real difference.

Well, it is just the first game, and Arrieta starts Sunday night, but it does somewhat illustrate potential chinks in the team's armor.  When Lester pitches, the offense does suffer because he and Ross are virtually automatic outs.  This matters in close games.  So does Lester's absolute inabilty to hold runners close.  I had no idea it was this bad when they signed him.  It definitely played a role in the Mets final run.

After the game, Lester pretty much beat himself up for his performance.  Nothing he said was not true, but, of course, he was not the only reason they lost.  Fans seemed livid on the talk shows, but they need to realize Lester is not the pitcher he was in 2013 and earlier in his career.

Fans also need to realize it is possible to win these series with a single dominant pitcher, just a little harder.  My guess is that in the off-season, no matter what happens, the Cubs are likely to go out and get another one in free agency.